ASP.NET 2.0 Unleashed

In this chapter, you learned how to extend the ASP.NET Framework by extending different parts of the HTTP Runtime. In the first section, you learned how to create a custom BuildProvider. For example, you learned how to create a BuildProvider that dynamically generates a data access component from an XML file.

Next, you explored the topic of ExpressionBuilders. You learned how to use an ExpressionBuilder to automatically replace one expression with another. For example, we created a custom ExpressionBuilder that enables you to look up a value from an XML file.

The topic of HTTP Handlers was also explored. You learned two methods of creating custom HTTP Handlers. You learned how to create a Generic Handler and you learned how to create an HTTP Handler by implementing the IHttpHandler interface. You also saw how you can improve the scalability of your ASP.NET applications by implementing asynchronous HTTP Handlers.

Finally, you learned two methods of handling application-wide events. You learned how to create a custom HttpApplication by creating a Global.asax file. You also learned how to handle application events by implementing a custom HTTP Module.